BIG DADDY’S ULTIMATE PLAYLIST!
It's simple. I scroll through my iPod and when I come upon an artist that I have at least 15 songs by, I then pick one AND
ONLY ONE song to make THE ULTIMATE PLAYLIST.
(The number next to the artist is how many songs I have by that artist on my I-pod)
A
AC/DC... 17... YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
ARETHA FRANKLIN... 27... RESPECT
Came close to selecting the live DR. FEELGOOD off ARETHA IN PARIS, but there is no denying the power and majesty of
RESPECT. After a gazillion listens, it STILL rocks.
AL GREEN... 16... LET’S STAY TOGETHER
ALANIS MORISSETTE... 15... THE COUCH
What can I say? I loved her first two CD's which is how she ended up with EXACTLY 15 songs
ARTIE SHAW... 21... DANCIN’ IN THE DARK
B
THE BAND... 18... RAG, MAMA RAG
B-52S... 15... PLANET CLAIRE
BARRY WHITE... 16... YOU’RE MY FIRST, MY LAST, MY EVERYTHING
BEACH BOYS... 116... GIRLS ON THE BEACH
I know what you're thinking, this should be GOD ONLY KNOWS or a million others, but this one just floors me with it's
staggering harmonies and innocence and it's also one of the first Beach Boy tunes I ever heard.
BEATLES... 198... YOU CAN’T DO THAT
No, I'm not kidding.
BEASTIE BOYS... 25... SURE SHOT
BEN FOLDS... 32... SONG FOR THE DUMPED
BENNY GOODMAN... 22... WHAT’S NEW
BOB DYLAN... 115... LIKE A ROLLING STONE
I could have easily went with Adam's pick or many others, but ROLLING STONE gives you six minutes worth of Bob.
BOB MARLEY... 20... COULD YOU BE LOVED
BONNIE RAITT... 16... LOVE HAS NO PRIDE
BONZO DOG BAND... 37... JAZZ, DELICIOUS, HOT & COLD
BOOKER T & THE MGs... 16... HIP HUG HER
BRIAN ENO... 18... BECALMED
BRIAN WILSON... 32... LOVE AND MERCY
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN... 141... JUNGLELAND
It's a masterpiece of dramatic cinema.
BRYAN FERRY... 16... YOU WON’T SEE ME
C
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART... 23... NOWADAYS A WOMAN’S GOTTA HIT A MAN
CARS... 17... MY BEST FRIEND’S GIRL
CAT STEVENS... 17... MILES FROM NOWHERE
BIG DADDY’S ULTIMATE PLAYLIST!
CHICAGO... 34... INTRODUCTION
CHUCK BERRY... 21... NO PARTICULAR PLACE TO GO
CLASH... 32... POLICE ON MY BACK
COLD PLAY... 16... SWALLOWED BY THE SEA
COUNT BASIE... 42... THE TROT
CREAM... 15... CROSSROADS
CCR... 28... FORTUNATE SON...
Written 30 years ago, but still applies to all the asshole Sean Hannity's of the world.
D
DAMIEN RICE... 15... THE BLOWER’S DAUGHTER
DAN HICKS & HIS HOT LICKS... 22... PAYDAY BLUES
DAVID BOWIE... 62... HEROES
DEAD MILKMEN... 15... IT'S THE GUITAR
DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES... 18... STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE
DEVO... 17... GATES OF STEEL
DEAN MARTIN... 22... AIN’T THAT A KICK IN THE HEAD
THE DOORS... 50... NOT TO TOUCH THE EARTH
DINAH WASHINGTON... 27... MANHATTAN
DIONE WARWICK... 17... I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER
DUKE ELLINGTON... 17... MOOD INDIGO
E
ELO... 32... LIVING THING
Such an underrated genus Jeff Lynne is!
ELTON JOHN... 33... YOUR SONG
ELVIS COSTELLO... 103... (WHAT’S SO FUNNY ABOUT) PEACE LOVE & UNDERSTANDING
ELVIS PRESLEY... 69... THE WONDER OF YOU
EMINEM... 16... THE WAY IT IS
EVERLY BROTHERS... 24... LET IT BE ME
F
FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS... 16... TIP ON IN
FIONA APPLE... 22... EXTRAORDINARY MACHINE
FOO FIGHTERS... 16... THE PRETENDER
FOUR SEASON... 23... C’MON MARIANNE
FRANK SINATRA... 392!... SOLILOQUY (Studio Reprise version)
I'm asked frequently why so much Blue eyes. Well, not only is he the greatest pop singer ever, if you collect Sinatra, you
end up with the absolute best of Porter, Cahn, Gershwin, Van Huesen, Berlin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Styne, and on
and on and on. Seriously, who needs the Rod Stewart songbook when you already have all those songs sung by the
Chairman of the Board!
BIG DADDY’S ULTIMATE PLAYLIST!
FRED ASTAIRE... 22... ISN’T IT A LOVELY DAY
And here's the man who, in his films, introduced the world to many of the greatest standards ever. And he was never
even thought of as a singer.
G
GEORGE WINSTON... 22... JOY
GENESIS... 18... SUPPER’S READY
I know it's not really fair to include a 22:50 song, but what can I do?
GRAHAM PARKER... 17... SATURDAY NIGHT IS DEAD...
GLENN MILLER... 18... PENNSYLVANIA 6-5000
GREEN DAY... 25... BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS
H
HALL & OATES... 15... ONE ON ONE
Hall is one of the few singers capable of challenging Teddy P's title as the Greatest Singer Ever to Come out Of Philly.
HANK WILLIAMS... 37... MY SON CALLS ANOTHER MAN DADDY
The Greatest Country Artist Ever. Period.
I
ISAAC HAYES... 18... THEME FROM SHAFT
When I started this, I decided to leave movie soundtrack guys such as Ennio Morricone (who I have over 100 tracks by)
and Henry Mancini off. I figure I'll do something else with them some other day. But Hayes also worked in the pop field,
both as a performer and writer, so hence . . . . .YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT!
J
J. GEILS BAND... 21... DID YOU NO WRONG
One of the ten best live American bands ever. And they STILL are.
JACKIE GLEASON... 16... MELANCHOLY SERENADE
Yes, THAT Jackie released these really cool LP's. They were records of old standards that he conducted. They had a
simple formula. Start with about a 100 strings and then add the great bobby Hackett on trumpet. (Hackett performed
on many sides for Sinatra) I think you'll recognize MELANCHOLY. SEEK THESE OUT!
JAMES BROWN... 69... I GOT THE FEELING
Clyde Stubblefield, on the drums in all his glory. Critics love to talk about how the accapela moment in GOOD
VIBRATIONS makes history, but what about JB's "Baby, baby, baby?"
JAMES TAYLOR... 21... CIRCLE ROUND THE SUN
JERRY LEE LEWIS... 28... NUMBER ONE LOVING MAN
JETHRO TULL... 25... WOND'RING ALOUD
JIMI HENDRIX... 32... MANIC DEPRESSION
JIMMY DURANTE... 21... CHIDABEE CHIDABEE CHIDABEE
JOHN LENNON... 22... COLD TURKEY
JUDY GARLAND... 29... STORMY WEATHER (Live at Carnagie Hall)
BIG DADDY’S ULTIMATE PLAYLIST!
K
KANYE WEST... 16... PARANOID
KEITH RICHARD... 15... WICKED AS IT SEEMS
KILLERS...25... READ MY MIND
Might just be the best new band working today. Had a REAL difficult time picking just the one.
KING CRIMSON... 16... STARLESS
All majestic 12:19 of it
THE KINKS... 78... SHE’S BOUGHT A HAT LIKE PRINCESS MARINA
Wow, this one was impossible. I LOVE THEM ALL!
L
LED ZEPPELIN... 42... COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
Also made the 24 Greatest Rock Songs Ever List
LITTLE RICHARD... 18... RIP IT UP
LOU REED... 20... TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
LOUDON WAINRIGHT III... 20... NEW PAINT
The greatest live act EVER with just an acoustic in his hand
LOUIS ARMSTRONG... 16... GIVE ME A KISS TO BUILD A DREAM ON
LOUIS PRIMA... 26... BUONA SERA
LOVIN' SPOONFUL... 15... DARLING BE HOME SOON
M
MADONNA... 15... RAY OF LIGHT
MARVIN GAYE... 40... LET’S GET IT ON
Is this the sexiest song ever recorded? (Trivia answer)
MATTHEW SWEET... 15... GIRLFRIEND
MERLE HAGGARD... 17... ALMOST PERSUADED
MOODY BLUES... 16... GO NOW
Their earliest hit and they ended up sounding nothing like this as their career went on.
THE MOVE... 16... DO YA
One of the most underrated Brit pop/rock bands ever. It's where Jeff Lynne came out of to help form ELO with the great
Roy Wood, which is how ELO came to re-record this great classic. Trust me, THE MOVE'S version is the shit. Get their
greatest hits. You won't be disappointed.
N
NAZZ... 16... UNDER THE ICE
Todd Rundgren's band out of Philly, this cut features some of the most unbelievable drumming ever laid down on wax
by a cat named Thom Mooney. Absolutely download this!
NEIL YOUNG... 109! CINNAMON GIRL
Oh, I could have picked dozens. One of the most amazing songwriters ever placed on earth.
BIG DADDY’S ULTIMATE PLAYLIST!
NICK LOWE... 18... I KNEW THE BRIDE (WHEN SHE USED TO ROCK AND ROLL)
What a lyric.
NINE INCH NAILS... 30... HURT
NIRVANA... 30... SERVE THE SERVANTS
O
OSCAR PETERSON... 43... TONIGHT
The greatest piano player ever. Period.
OTIS REDDING... 47... LOVE MAN
I wish I could have a "live" Otis and a "studio" Otis. That way I could squeeze in two songs, but rules are rules!
P
PAUL MC CARTNEY... 23... LIVE & LET DIE
PAUL SIMON... 17... AMERICAN TUNE
PEARL JAM... 32... DO THE EVOLUTION
Blistering! And the most disturbing video ever
PETER GABRIEL... 22... DON’T GIVE UP
A duet with Kate Bush, who plays his wife in the song, begging him not to "give up" even though he just lost his job and
the future looks bleak. Incredibly moving, it also includes an insane high note from Pete.
PINK FLOYD... 19... ONE OF THESE DAYS
I have 19 Pink Floyd songs and I wanted to go with THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY, but that's more part of a DARK SIDE
movement than a song, so I'm going with ONE OF THESE DAYS. My brother came home from 'Nam with these incredible
speakers and I used to put my head right between them and blast this cut over and over. Got a Floyd song more
deserving?
THE PRETENDERS... 44... TATTOOED LOVE BOYS
The single greatest female voice for a hard rocking band ever. Any arguments?
PRINCE... 39... SEXY M.F.
It's everything that Prince was.
PROCUL HARUM... 29 (And keep in mind, ONE of these songs is 18 minutes long)... REPENT WALPURGIS
I know, I know, the one Procol tune has to be WHITER SHADE OF PALE, correct. And it should be. I LOVE the tune. It
was the song that I requested when I was on WFIL with George Michaels back when I was president of West Catholic.
But what can I tell you, REPENT WALPURGIS is personal for me. A classically themed instrumental from their classic first
LP, I have been air guitaring Robin Trower's mighty chops from it from the first time I heard it. GIVE IT A LISTEN!
Q
QUEEN... 22... BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
I know it's the obvious choice, but shuddup! It's a freakin' work of art!
R
RADIOHEAD... 16... EXIT MUSIC
I think they are extremely overrated, but when they nail it, boy they nail it. This particular cut could easily be labeled
THE SADDEST SONG EVER, but dag, that melody line is so haunting and Thom Yorke rips your heart out
BIG DADDY’S ULTIMATE PLAYLIST!
RANDY NEWMAN... 104... I THINK IT'S GOING TO RAIN TODAY
Now this is one of Newman's saddest songs, but he's also one of the funniest songwriters EVER. I started my comedy
career as a musical comic an Newman was a MAJOR influence.
RAY CHARLES... 52... THE RIGHT TIME
Maybe his best vocal ever and the Raelettes never sounded better. Since my Mom just died, let me mention she was
totally responsible for my love for Ray. She adored him and her fav Ray tune was GEORGIA ON MY MIND.
ROD STEWART... 29... EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY
I was really torn between this cut and REASON TO BELIEVE, but no song to me captures the real Rod like this one.
Amazing drumming and guitar work and people forget what a terrific, fun, clever lyricist Stewart was.
ROLLING STONES... 182! SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL (BEGGAR'S BANQUET VERSION)
Terrific Jagger vocal AND lyric. Love the percussion. And that's Keith playing that amazing bass and laying down one of
my favorite guitar solo's EVER.
RONNIE EARL... 15... WHY SHOULD I FEEL SO BAD?
Ronnie used to be the guitar player for ROOMFUL OF BLUES, a band I've seen a dozen times because they were so much
fun, and the solo on this tune will blow you away! GUARANTEED.
ROXY MUSIC... 40... DO THE STRAND
God, did I love these guys. Their first 5 LP's are stone cold classics. For their first 2 (including this cut), Brian Eno was a
member of the band, and he only goes on to become one of the most important figures in music history. Ferry's voice
was never better and DO THE STRAND not only smokes, it's hilarious.
ROY ORBISON... 17... RUNNING SCARED
That note at the end, are you kidding me?
S
SANTANA... 19... SAMBA PA TI
So beautiful.
SAVOY BROWN... 18... WELCOME TO THE BAMBOO GROVE
Little known British blues band with one of the most amazing guitar players ever, Kim Simmonds. They also had a gritty
lead singer in Chris Youlden, who is not on this exciting instrumental.
SIMON & GARFUNKEL... 31... THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK
This isn't just my favorite S&G tune, it's one of my favorite tunes of all time by ANYBODY. The most amazing
breathtaking harmony.
SLY & THE FAMILY STONE... 21... DANCE TO THE MUSIC
Could have went to a DOZEN classics, but I went with the first song I ever heard by him and STILL one of the best dance
songs ever.
SMOKEY ROBINSON... 24... TRACKS OF MY TEARS
This song STILL gets me.
THE SPECIALS... 30... ENJOY YOURSELF
I know, compared to GHOST TOWN, NITE KLUB, BLANK EXPRESSION, "ENJOY YOURSELF," is a goof. But I have never,
NEVER been drunk where I haven't played it TWO TIMES N A ROW! "Hi, I'm Terry, and I'm gonna enjoy myself fuuuurst."
SPIRIT... 25... DARK EYED WOMAN
Californian band that has slipped through the cracks over the years, but I have NEVER stopped playing them. Had an
incredible guitar player by the name of Randy California and his solo on this cut is monstrous!
BIG DADDY’S ULTIMATE PLAYLIST!
SQUEEZE... 15... PULLING MUSSELS FROM THE SHELL
Dilford & Tilbrook were compared to Lennon/McCartmey by critics so often, that I grew snobbish towards the band.
C'mon, what’d they have? 15 really good songs? But I do love those 15. And I did get to work with Paul Carrack at the
Spectrum once, however, and was a really cool guy. Anyone recall the 3 hits he sang with 3 different bands?
STEELY DAN... 29... KID CHARLEMAGNE...
Fantastic lyric. Legendary guitar playing from Larry Carlton. "is there gas in the car? Is there gas in the CAR?"
STEVIE RAY VAUGHN... 50... TELL ME, DARLIN'
Could have went with many others but this one gets the nod cuz I play the live Austin version on DVD constantly. It's
perfect. Dag, do I miss him.
STEVIE WONDER... 68... FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE
Perfect lyric and what a harmonica solo. Stevie's one of my all-time musical heroes.
T
TALKING HEADS... 29... LIFE DURING WARTIME
"Why go to night school?!"
THE TEMPTATIONS... 36... I WISH IT WOULD RAIN
This is the absolute classic Tempts lineup and this cut features the incredible (and tragically, underrated) David Ruffin at
his most pained.
TODD RUNDGREN... 48... ZEN ARCHER
I know, odd selection, but I swear I have played this cut more than any other. Features the amazing David Sanborn
(Who I have had the pleasure of opening for. I expect Sanborn to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame some day. Maybe
he's in already, I should check) The number 48 is a little deceiving, many of these cuts are like a minute long off the
WIZARD (MY fav Todd LP) album, but then again this 48 doesn't count the 16 NAZZ songs mentioned earlier.
TOM WAITS... 121! I NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS
IF I was cheating, I would give you two songs here, since there is practically two Waits. The hilarious and tender piano
playing Tom and the over the top weird (but just as great) and bizarre Waits he is today. This one's from the former life.
Me and my wife sing it all the time and I used to perform it live.
TONY BENNETT... 38... DANCING IN THE DARK
I was just a mild Bennett fan till he made that "MTV comeback" and put out a series of tremendous CD's with just the
Ralph Sharon trio. This one is off STEPPIN' OUT which I highly recommend owning along with the excellent PERFECTLY
FRANK. Ralph Sharon is an amazing pianist and I'm guessing that he is ill cause Bennett is no longer working with him
and he is still alive. Then again, he is 87.
U
U2... 67... WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME...
It's their shining moment. I have never gotten tired of it. Edge's rhythm playing on it one of music's greatest display of
rhythm.
BIG DADDY’S ULTIMATE PLAYLIST!
V
VAN MORRISON... 131! CARAVAN (Live version off IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW)
Dag, this was as tough to pick as ANY artist on the Playlist. I went with this because, first of all, it's an awesome
performance with Van at the peak of his powers with the greatest band he ever had. Secondly, it's over 9 minutes long,
so I get MORE of Van with this one selection. By the way, this is the greatest live album by anybody EVER and quite
possibly the greatest double album ever. The only thing that stops me from calling it that is I don't know if it's fair to
great doubles like QUADROPHENIA because it's kind of live greatest hits package.
W
WEEZER... 30... (IF YOU'RE WONDERING IF I WANT YOU TO) I WANT YOU TO
Although I dig BUDDY HOLLY and THE SWEATER SONG, I came to Weezer really late in the game. There is a lot out there
that I haven't even heard yet and I can't wait. Anyone see them do this on Letterman? It was fantastic.
THE WHO... 166! BABA O'REILLY
Obviously, when you have this many songs, you love dozens of them. I am picking BABA because I can't think of another
song that I have heard THIS OFTEN, that I STILL love. TWO great vocals, that amazing synth (which is NOT looped), and
that insane ending. It's like four songs in one.
WILLIE NELSON... 32... HAND ON THE WHEEL
It's from a movie called ELECTRIC HORSEMAN and I demand you download it now. "I looked to the stars, tried all of the
bars." What a great line from a true American original.
Y
YES... 20... HEART OF THE SUNRISE
Seems like I should have more than 20 since I love this band so much (Why are they not in the HOF?), but remember
most of these songs are AT LEAST 10 minutes long. And SUNRISE is their shining achievement. LONG LIVE BILL
BRUFORD!
Z
ZOMBIES... 18... SHE'S NOT THERE
Although this classic single is not from ODYSSEY & ORACLE, no CD collection is complete without that classic LP.